There is a picture of the beautiful elegant
Yorkie not often thought of and that is the Yorkie
who competes in companion and performance events. These
performance events include obedience, agility, tracking,
rally obedience, and a whole compilation of things
that Yorkies can excel in, including everything from
fly ball and Frisbee to musical freestyle and teaching
a Yorkie to do tricks to perform for friends and relatives.
The Yorkshire Terrier is a highly intelligent little
dog with a personality that never quits. A Yorkie can
be a wonderful performance dog and truly is a dog for
all seasons and events.
It is always important to remember safety first when doing
performance work with any breed of dog. Having a cool shady
spot to rest in and fresh water available at outdoors events
is a must for any breed, and a little kiddie pool to cool
off in never hurt anyone.
Here are some things that you might want to do with your
Yorkie and the titles you can earn from the American Kennel
Club:
CANINE GOOD CITIZENS
TEST
The AKC offers a Canine Good Citizens Test . The CGC is not
an official AKC Title, but the dog earns a certificate
and is an accomplishment any owner can be proud of. This
test is a great way to get started by completing ten basic
exercises that include everyday behaviors. This includes
such exercises as basic heel work, sit, down, and stay
on command along with supervised separation and behaving
in examination for visits to the groomer and the vet. While
some requirements such as stay and separation from their
owners can be more difficult for many Yorkies, the CGC
is an excellent way to get started on the basics with your
Yorkie.
OBEDIENCE
Obedience is the basis for most of the other performance
events and is a great way to start working with your Yorkie.
It includes basic command work such as attention to handler,
long sits and downs; in the upper levels - retrieval,
jumping and the retrieval of dumbbells. There is even
a famous Yorkie named Smokey who was trained to carry messages
during World War II. There is no limit for these tenacious
terriers.
Here is a list of AKC obedience Titles:
(CD):
Companion Dog
(CDX):
Companion Dog Excellent
(UD):
Utility Dog
(UDX):
Utility Dog Excellent
(OTCH):
Obedience Trial Champion
AGILITY
Agility is a popular athletic event that requires conditioning,
concentration, training and lot of teamwork between Yorkie
and Handler. Yorkies are natural show stoppers and in the
agility ring they always draw a crowd whenever it is their
turn to run the course. They love to run through a course
and really enjoy going through tunnels, over dog walks
and flying over the jumps that are the norm of the agility
courses. There is no dog with more determination and heart
than an agility Yorkie when it struggles its way up and
over the A-frame. One can see spectators holding their
breaths until the Yorkie makes it to the top and starts
down the other side every time. Agility is a high-action
timed event that has everyone’s heart racing.
Rally Obedience became an AKC titling event as of January
1st, 2005. Rally is a new dog sport that is fast-paced and
fun-packed. It is a wonderful stepping stone from the CGC
to Obedience and Agility and is an absolutely perfect for
the way a Yorkie likes to work. The course changes with each
trial as it does in agility and you can talk to your dog
throughout the exercises and encourage them on as you move
from one sign station to the next at your own pace.
Here are the AKC Rally Titles:
(RN):
Rally Novice
(RA):
Rally Advanced
(RE):
Rally Excellent
(RAE):
Rally Advanced Excellent
TRACKING
In tracking a dog learns to do “what comes naturally” and
that is to use their nose to follow a scent. Tracking is
usually run in fields and a tracklayer will walk on a pre-determined
track making both left and right turns (at a test this track
is laid out by the judges and marked so the tracklayer knows
where to walk) and at the end of the track is an article
(usually a glove or a wallet). Although you won’t normally
see a lot of Yorkies entered in tracking events, they can
do very well and have the fire and determination to excel
in a sport that is mainly thought of for big dogs.
Here are the AKC Tracking Titles:
(TD):
Tracking Dog
(TDX):
Tracking Dog Excellent
(VST):
Variable Surface Tracker
(CT ):
Champion Tracker
EARTH
DOGS
The Earth Dog tests were adopted October 1, 1994 by the AKC.
For centuries terriers were bred to quarry out and track
game, the Earth Dog Tests take advantage of tracking on
a turf a Yorkie can feel “right at home” in.
While today the wonderful size of a Yorkie makes them excellent
pets, they are often corrected for every little bark at
the squirrel running across the lawn and chastised for
catching every lizard that crosses the window sills. Earth
Dog Testing is perfect for these little tenacious terriers
to follow their naturally bred instincts to hunt and an
outlet for excessive energy.
Here are the AKC Earth Dog Certificates:
(IQ):
Introduction to Quarry
(J.E.):
Junior Earth Dog
(S.E.):
Senior Earth Dog
(M.E.):
Master Earth Dog
VERSATILE
COMPANION DOG TITLES
As of January 1st, 2001 the AKC
has given performance exhibitors a whole
new batch of titles to earn. The VERSATILE COMPANION DOG
(VCD) Titles are
not a new event but are earned by achieving titles in Obedience,
Agility
(both Standard and Jumpers) and Tracking. The number behind
the VCD title
depends on level of the four titles the dog has earned. These
new titles
provide a performance Yorkie with a new challenge and encouragement
to
compete in all three events.
Here is a list of the VCD Titles followed by the Obedience,
Agility and
Tracking titles that must be earned to achieve that level:
